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Frequently asked questions
When will Duolingo offer a course for language [fill in the blank]? New courses are being added to Duolingo using the Duolingo [[Incubator]]. You can see which courses are currently being "incubated" at http://incubator.duolingo.com/. The Incubator relies on volunteers who are fluent in both languages, so if you know someone who is, encourage them to apply at http://incubator.duolingo.com/apply. Currently Duolingo is adding new courses slowly in order to make sure everything in the Incubator is working properly, but they plan on adding courses for as many as 50 more languages in 2014"Luis von Ahn on Duolingo's Plans for 2014", http://www.crowdsourcing.org/editorial/luis-von-ahn-on-duolingos-plans-for-2014/30191, so stay tuned. I want to apply to help create a course teaching [language A] to [language B] speakers, but it's not an option. How do I apply? It's currently possible to apply to teach any of Duolingo's six original languages (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, and Italian) to speakers of any other language. If the language you want to teach from is not listed in the second drop-down menu at http://incubator.duolingo.com/apply, you can select the "Enter Other" option and type it in. Note that much of the content of a course teaching language A from language B will also be used to create the course teaching language B from language A, so by contributing to one course direction you will also be contributing to the opposite direction as well. It is not currently possible to apply to create a course that does not teach to or from one of the six languages mentioned, but it is expected to be possible soon. I applied to help create a course but haven't heard back. What gives? Duolingo is rolling out new Incubator courses slowly at first, so it may take some time before they are ready to incubate the course you applied for. They are also receiving thousands of applications for Incubator contributors and those take some time to go through. A course for language [fill in the blank] is currently in Phase 1 in the Incubator. When will it be ready to use? It depends. Some courses have been made in under two months. Others take longer. For a rough estimate of when a course might be ready to use, visit the [[Incubator]] page at http://incubator.duolingo.com/ and click on the course you're interested in. An estimated completion date will be shown below the course progress bar. Once a course is complete it will move to Phase 2 (AKA "beta" phase) and will be available for use by Duolingo website users. What does it mean for a course to be in "beta"? It means that it's a relatively new course and there might be some errors, so it's going through a "beta" or testing phase before it's "officially" released. Beta courses are fully accessible for Duolingo website users but may not be available in the Android or iPhone apps. How long does a course stay in beta? Courses are released from beta once they meet certain quality requirements. How long that takes will vary but may be about a month or two. Beta courses are fully usable via the Duolingo website during that time but may not be available in the Android or iPhone apps. How do I switch my language direction or use a beta course? #Move your mouse cursor over the flag icon of the language you're currently learning at the top of the page. #Click "more...". #Choose the course you want from the "Learning Language" options. #Click "Save changes". Is there an easier way to type accents and special characters than using the clickable buttons? You can install a keyboard layout that supports typing those characters even on a keyboard that isn't marked for them. For instructions on how to do that, see the [[Guide to Installing Keyboard Layouts]]. For information on some of the layout options available to install, see the [[Guide to keyboard layouts and input methods]]. Windows users can also use Alt codes and Mac OS users can use key combinations accessible from their default keyboard layout. How do I type accents or the German letter "ß" on my cell phone? On an Android device, tapping and holding on a letter key will bring up the option of adding an accent to it. Tapping and holding on the "s" key will bring up the option to type "ß". I love Duolingo. How can I help the site? *Tell people about it. The more people who use and contribute to Duolingo, the better it becomes. *Once you start getting the knack of the language you're learning, try translating some real-world content in the [[Immersion]] section at http://www.duolingo.com/translations. Documents that are marked as "Sponsored" help Duolingo pay the bills, and even unsponsored documents help Duolingo to refine its algorithms for finding the best translations. *If you or someone you know is fluent in two (or more!) languages, you can help Duolingo make new language courses or improve existing ones. Apply at http://incubator.duolingo.com/apply. *If you want to show your Duolingo Pride, you can buy a t-shirt or other item from the "Gear" store at http://gear.duolingo.com/. These items are priced at cost, so Duolingo makes no money off them, but they can be a nice way of helping spread the word about the site. Can I donate money to Duolingo? Duolingo does not currently accept donations. It earns money from its users translating real-world content in the [[Immersion]] section. References